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Sometimes the line between competitive rivalry and genuine disdain blurs. It’s difficult to juggle mutual respect, admiration, jealousy, and public perception all at once. But, according to a report by The Telegraph and an interview with ABC Steve Jobs and Bill gates did the dance better than most.

Gates told The Telegraph he and Jobs relationship changed drastically after he left Microsoft in 2007 to set up his foundation and after the two made a rare joint appearance at the D Conference in 2007. Gate’s even visited Jobs in October just before the late CEO’s death.

“He and I always enjoyed talking. He would throw some things out, you know, some stimulating things. We'd talk about the other companies that have come along. We talked about our families and how lucky we'd both been in terms of the women we married. It was great relaxed conversation." — ABC News Interview.

Gates also wrote jobs a letter to tell him “how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had got to know." After Jobs death Gates received a call from Jobs’s wife Laurene. She told gates Jobs appreciated the letter and kept it by his bed.

"She said; 'Look, this biography really doesn't paint a picture of the mutual respect you had," — Gates, The Telegraph.

That respect blossomed into a friendship of sorts, how could it not? Two titans of tech who no longer directly competed, and shared a long, storied history would hopefully be drawn together by their similarities not driven apart by petty differences. The best of frenemies.

Well, and Gates bailed Apple out in 1997 with a $150 million investment. And again in 2001 by developing Microsoft office for OS X.

there would definitely be a Microsoft. Steve did not save the company.

Seriously. Anyone saying MS wouldn't exist without Apple is just plain insane, or are a complete moron. Jobs has received way more credit than he deserves. He was nothing more than the public face of Apple, a tyrannical, egotistical a**hole. All his personal designs were the biggest flops in Apple's history. He should only get credit for surrounding himself with competent, talented people. Ive was more responsible for saving Apple than Jobs ever was. This is coming from an Ex Apple Employee that resigned after 8 years because Apple had become a crappy place to work and lost all of it's core/founding principles. Especially the idea of "Think Different" and being Unique. It turned into a vanilla, soulless place very much like Dell which I worked for when I was 18 so I know. This was in part due to Apple in Austin hiring a lot of Sr. Management from Dell, but also because Jobs always avoided and never liked Austin. We tried to get him to come visit many times but he always refused. Pretty sad considering we were their second HQ